For any of you who wandered over to visit Wednesday night’s Sorrento’s summer block party, we hope you looked up. Those big buildings are hot stuff right now. Here’s a look at some of the big building news from the neighborhood.
- Actually, for this one, look down. The 1200 Madison project is under constructionand hasn’t quite achieved 16-story status. Consultants working with Holland on the project are inviting locals to participate in a workshop Thursday night to talk about the building’s interior design. What’s in it for you? In addition to getting to show off your glossy fashion magazine expertise, 1200 Madison project organizers from the are giving participants $50 Visa gift cards and providing drinks and appetizers in the classy Sorrento Hotel. They are asking participants to register and meet a certain demographic profile. Renter? Check. Live in “urban” Seattle? Check Check. Make more than $55,000? Well, what are they gonna do, background check? Go for it.
1000 8th Ave glam shot of its courtyard pool (Image: 1000 8th) - Seattle Times is reporting that “California real estate investors” (the worst kind!) have purchased the 14-story apartment building for a cold hard $61 million. The 1949 building last sold back in 2004 for $37 million. Our favorite thing about the building just up from Town Hall is its swimming pool which has been empty the last few times we’ve seen it but always gives off an alien vibe as if it was imported direct from SoCal. Empty, it looks much more Pacific Northwest than it appears on the flashy onethousand8thavenueapts.com.
- Finally, we previously noted that Polyclinic’s First Hill expansion passed a major hurdle with approval of its change of use application for a new headquarters at 7th and Madison. Here’s a pretty picture and the press release on the approval from the Polyclinic:
(Image: Polyclinic)
The Polyclinic is moving forward with plans to expand to a new facility at the corner of 7th and Madison on First Hill in the spring of 2012, having cleared several contingencies that had to be met in order to finalize their lease agreement with HAL Real Estate Investments (HAL). The multi-specialty clinic has received approval from the City of Seattle to convert the building to medical use and to build a surface lot and a garage that will provide additional parking to the facility. The Polyclinic and HAL finalized the lease agreement on June 30.
“The idea of primary care physicians and specialists working together under one roof is at the heart of our care model, and this move will allow us to ensure that we can continue with that model even as we grow,” said Polyclinic CEO Lloyd David. “This plan is good for our patients, good for our physicians and employees, and good for the community. I couldn’t be more excited about it.”
The clinic reached an agreement with HAL last year to lease the 7th and Madison building on First Hill. HAL purchased the unoccupied building in November 2010, with a mutual understanding to lease the entire space to The Polyclinic. The project will include street level retail, landscaping and property upgrades.
“We are delighted that the Polyclinic has been able to clear its contingencies and look forward to a long and successful relationship with them,” said HAL CEO Dana Behar. “The Polyclinic represents the ideal use for this building, and having them at this location should prove a great new amenity for downtown Seattle.”
The Polyclinic signed a separate lease earlier this month that will allow for the construction of a parking garage and upgraded surface parking on an existing lot at 8th and Marion. The city approved those plans after the Capitol Hill Design Review Board heard from area business owners and residents who supported the project. That project is currently slated to begin in early August.
Move-in of clinic services will be staggered over a period of several months. Current plans call for many of The Polyclinic’s physicians to move beginning in the early spring of 2012. The Polyclinic plans to retain and eventually remodel its current location at 1145 Broadway.
Any word on what sorts of street level retail will be going in to the Polyclinic building? And how soon they’ll do that? After the exodus of M Street Grocery, I’m anxious to get some more shopping on my street.